Diabetes-Friendly Side Dish Recipes

This foolproof recipe for perfectly cooked quinoa is fast and easy! Use cooked quinoa as a simple healthy side dish, in a salad or as a base for a delicious main dish.

This creamy cucumber salad is an easy side dish for any summer BBQ. Bright dill and white-wine vinegar add fresh tartness to cucumbers and red onions. Enjoy this salad the day you prepare it so the ingredients don't turn watery.

Fresh herbs, onion and sautéed bacon flavor this easy Brussels sprouts recipe. This savory dish is delicious in the fall and winter months, when Brussels sprouts are in season. If you can find them still attached to the stalk, don't be intimidated--buy them, as they're likely more fresh. Recipe adapted from The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters.

Learning how to make Greek yogurt at home is simple with this easy homemade Greek yogurt recipe. Start by making homemade yogurt by heating milk, combining with a little bit of already-cultured yogurt and letting it sit in a warm spot until the milk turns into yogurt. Making protein-rich Greek yogurt takes one more step than making regular yogurt: straining the yogurt to thicken it. You can add the leftover liquid--also known as whey--to smoothies, or you can use it in place of buttermilk in baking.

How long does zucchini take to cook? This foolproof way to cook zucchini is also the easiest and fastest. Just steam it on the stovetop for a few minutes and you have a healthy vegetable side dish to add to dinner.

Learn how to roast squash in this healthy recipe adapted from Alice Waters. Look for squash varieties, including buttercup, kabocha or hubbard, at your farmers' market and try them in this tasty side dish.

Butternut squash steams quickly, making this a great cooking technique to enjoy this fall vegetable as a weeknight side dish. For extra flavor, toss the steamed butternut squash with salt, pepper and a little bit of olive oil, butter or Parmesan cheese after cooking.

Sautéed spinach (or any greens) with garlic and a squeeze of lemon (or vinegar) is a simple formula that lets spinach shine and will never go out of favor.

Roasting carrots in the oven brings out their sweetness, which is enhanced further with a tangy balsamic and maple glaze. Serve them straight-up for an easy weeknight side dish or garnish with chopped hazelnuts for holiday meals and dinner parties.

The Thai dessert kow neuw mamuang, or mango sticky rice, is a popular dessert throughout Southeast Asia. It's typically made with white glutinous rice, but our version features short-grain brown rice for a similarly chewy texture with more fiber per serving. Coconut milk adds sweetness, while a topping of sesame seeds provides nuttiness.

Here's the only recipe you need to make perfect brown rice every time! This healthy whole grain is great on its own as a side dish, or use it in your favorite recipes calling for cooked brown rice.

Mix up these nutrient-packed cruciferous vegetables for a flavorful and healthy side dish.

This refreshing, simple Cuban salad recipe captures the flavors of the tropics. Serve alongside spiced chicken or pork, with rice and beans.

Sautéeing butternut squash in olive oil quickly yields perfectly cooked results and slighly caramelizes the squash for extra flavor. This recipe makes a delicious vegetable side dish to pair with roasted meats.

For these easy pickled beets, you only need to let them marinate in the pickling mixture for about 30 minutes to get great flavor. Marinating them longer just enhances the taste. Try them in place of cucumber pickles as a condiment or as a vegetable side dish for roasted chicken or beef.

This fresh and colorful red cabbage slaw is crisp and bright. Dijon and honey balance the flavors of the cabbage. Serve this slaw alongside grilled meat or pack it up for an outdoor potluck or picnic.

In this healthy side dish recipe, sweet potatoes are tossed with maple syrup, butter and lemon juice and roasted until tender and golden brown. The delicious glaze that forms on these maple-roasted sweet potatoes transforms this ultra-simple dish into something sublime.

A colorful and hearty summer salad, ensalada de coditos can be customized with ingredients like peas, tuna or ham. This vegetarian version features raw vegetables for added flavor and crunch, and makes for the perfect side to your main dish.

These crispy, savory potatoes are topped with feta, parsley and scallions for an easy, impressive side dish. Serve alongside roasted chicken or salmon.

Try a sweet glaze on beets or other root vegetables to help balance their earthy flavor. This easy recipe will work with steamed carrots, turnips or rutabaga too.

Roasting canned chickpeas until crispy makes a simple and healthy snack. In this riff on candied nuts, chickpeas are coated with cinnamon sugar to make them irresistible! This snack is best enjoyed the day it is made.

Baked pumpkin is a fun twist on tradition. A sprinkle of cinnamon is a delicious nod to the usual pie and transforms the squash into an enchanting side dish recipe.

For this old-fashioned Southern cucumber and onion salad, thin slices of cucumber and onion marinate just long enough to develop a touch of tanginess without any sharp bite. Serve with sweet dishes like barbecue to lend a refreshing balance.

Here's a terrific way to dress up the last of the season's summer squash. Reduced-fat cheddar cheese gives this side dish recipe plenty of flavor.